Mary Catherine Schmitt turned 16 on March 31, 1936.

Her teacher sent her this note. A birthday greeting in verse, actually:

Mary Catherine was a top student at Jasper High School here in Indiana. She was having a good month. Just a few weeks earlier, her name appeared twice in the local newspaper, showing her place in the sophomore class’s rankings.

Here’s the Honor Roll announcement:

Mary Catherine was the fourth born of the ten Schmitt children. Her father, Henry, was a younger brother of Sister Lucia, making us related through Gary’s father.

Here’s a photo of the six older siblings:

Mary Catherine’s life story is not a long one, sadly. While playing on the swings at school in 1933, she fell and suffered an injury at the base of her skull. She underwent two surgeries, one a month after the injury and a second in early 1934.

When she died on August 20, 1936, the doctor said it was due to the growth of a sarcoma at the location of the injury.

Here’s a prayer card from her funeral:

While thinking about Mary Catherine, her teacher Mrs. Lampert also comes to mind. Oh, how that birthday poem must have been treasured, first by her student and then by the family she left behind. No kindness an adult shows to a child should ever be dismissed or forgotten.

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